Meet Honeywell Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer Cheya Dunlap

Cheya Dunlap is the Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer at Honeywell and is responsible for leading, shaping, influencing and implementing Honeywell’s inclusion and diversity strategy.

“I serve as a change agent and lead efforts to enable innovative customer and community outcomes by fostering an inclusive and diverse workforce and workplace in which everyone can be themselves and see themselves,” explains Cheya.

The pandemic caused a reset for talent

When looking at key trends and changes occurring in her industry, Cheya believes that the pandemic caused a reset for talent. "Flexibility, belonging, well-being and purpose-driven work are more important than ever, and Honeywell is leaning into these areas to provide a differentiated employee experience,” says Cheya.

“We recently launched new flexible work options, increased our wellness offerings, and are leveraging our Employee Networks to tell the Honeywell story by ensuring we connect the dots between the work we do and the impact it has in the world,” comments Cheya.

Developing women leaders

Honeywell has a number of initiatives focused on attracting, developing and retaining great talent, specifically through the Honeywell Women’s Employee Network and Women In Technology group, as well as through the company’s partnerships with Where Women Work, Society of Women Engineers, Catalyst, the National Association of Manufacturers and others.

“We have several programs focused on developing women leaders within our business segments and regions around the world. We also have our premier company-wide Women’s Career Advancement Program which is a year-long program that pairs each participant with an executive sponsor and seeks to empower through learning and development experiences and networking to expand opportunities for internal promotion,” explains Cheya.

A culture of change and transformation

When asked about aspects of Honeywell that further women might find inspiring, Cheya attests: “I recently celebrated my first year with the company, and I’m happy to say there are many things I am proud of. These include a diverse and supportive Board of Directors and senior leadership team; continued improvement in overall representation of women and across all diverse populations as we have publicly disclosed for the first time in 2021; the momentum and impact of our employee networks; the launch of flexible work options; and the creation of a world-class Inclusion & Diversity center of excellence, among others. What I hope other women might find inspiring is not necessarily the list of things, but the overall culture of change and transformation taking place at Honeywell. We are embedding inclusion and diversity into every aspect of our business and the way we work, and the energy is palpable.”

An environment of inclusivity, belonging and impact

Cheya believes Honeywell is being very intentional about listening to women leaders through collaborating with them, and not making assumptions about their interests or career aspirations. "We want to ensure our employees are working on things that matter, in a way that matters to them, and in a manner that provides an environment of inclusivity, support, belonging, and impact."

Inclusion and diversity are in the fabric of the company

Listen to Cheya discuss building a workplace — and workforce — that fosters community and challenges bias. In a podcast, she discusses how organizations and leaders can foster a sense of belonging on their teams in a changing workforce. "Inclusion and diversity is a foundational principle at Honeywell, which means that we work to embed inclusion and diversity into every single thing that we do and to the fabric of our company," says Cheya. "It's not an initiative with a start and a stop."

Getting the right work/life balance

When not working, Cheya enjoys spending downtime with her family, traveling, reading, and she's even starting to dabble in interior design and decorating.